With only 40 days to go before the start of the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies, the number of Bermudians travelling to Trinidad to watch the Island’s cricket team remain surprisingly low.

Bermuda qualified for their first World Cup in Ireland in the summer of 2005. But since local travel agencies began offering World Cup packages for Bermudians to see their national team participate on cricket’s grandest stage, the response from the public has been alarmingly lukewarm.

“I thought more people would have been behind the team because regardless of the outcome it is a privilege for Bermuda to be there (World Cup),” C Travel’s Pam Maybury told The Royal Gazette yesterday.

“I feel that any sporting team or anybody who is representing Bermuda as far as sports is concerned needs to have some sort of following which helps to make a big difference.”

In an effort to boost numbers, C Travel are offering chartered flights directly to Trinidad and a 14-night World Cup package that includes hotel accommodation — beginning at $210 per night — while game tickets can also be purchased.

Yet business remains slow with the number of people having arranged to travel to Trinidad through C Travel said to be “just over 100”.

Maybury now hopes to see an increase in ticket sales as the cricket spectacle draws nearer.

“Bermudians do tend to move at the last moment. And so we are still hoping things do pick up later,” she said. Bermuda are in a group with former World Cup champions Sri Lanka India as well as Bangladesh in Group B.

The team take on Sri Lanka in their opening World Cup match on March 15, India on March 19 and Bangladesh on March 25, with all matches to be held at Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain.

Meanwhile, Meyer and Franklin Travel also reported low numbers yesterday, with only a “handful” of reservations having been confirmed so far.

Bermuda are presently competing in the ICC World Cricket League in Kenya, and are due to compete in official ODI’s in Antigua next month against Canada and Bangladesh before heading to Trinidad to undergo final World Cup preparations.